Applicator for hair tinting liquids and the like



Nov. 11, 1969 c. ELDREDGE 3,477,447

APPLICATOR FOR HAIR TINTING LIQUIDS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 5, 1968ATTORNE Y5 VENTOR. GLADYS C. ELDREDGE 8Clalms ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREI An applicator for depositing and distributing various liquids on thescalp at the base of the hair. A screw cap,

adapted for attachment to a plastic bottle,,is fitted with" adistributor head carrying a plurality of stiflly flexible liquid-supplynozzles. Liquid is fed to the nozzles adapted to conform at their tipsto scalp contour through a manifold passage which is located in thedistributor head and which communicates with the bottle through thescrew cap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field .The invention relates to devices fortreating the scalp and hair and particularly to'liquid applicators.

State of the art It is often desired, for any one of a number ofreasons, to apply liquids to the scalp, or hair rootswithout saturatingthe hair. In the art of hair dyeing, for example, it is necessaryperiodically to re-dye the hair to maintain uniform hair color. As thehair grows, after being dyed, the natural color of the hair becomesvisible near the scalp, at the roots of the hair. To re-establish aneven hair color, a technician must apply dye selectively .to the undyedroot portion of the hair while avoiding applying dye to the previouslydyed portion of the hair. Heretofore, the selective application of dyesto the hair roots has been time consuming. Forty minutes or more of atechnicians time has been required just to part the hair and apply dyeto the roots thereof. It has been necessary, for example, to part thehair approximately every /3 inch along the scalp. Dye is then applied.to the roots of the hair along each of the parts. After the color of thehair in the root area has achieved the desired tint, each segment ofparted hair is combed to pull some of the remaining liquid through thepreviously dyed portions of the hair thereby producing a fetteringeffect and achieving a uniform appearance throughout.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTlON States atent ice , Liquids are supplied tothe-distribution elements I through a manifold arrangement whereby eachof the elements openly communicates along a row with the manifold suchthat fluid entering the manifold is equally distributed to the severalindividual tubular elements. The manifold is desirably provided in adistributor head .which is in turn anchored to a cap end. The cap end isadapted to fasten to a reservoir. A highly preferred reservoir is asqueeze type plastic bottle of standard type. The cap end is desirably ascrew threadl cap. A fluid communication passage is provided in thedistributor head so that the manifold openly communicates through thecap end to any reservoir to which the cap is attached from time to time.

Preferably, the entire applicator is molded or cast in one piece with acap end; a distributor head, including an internal manifold passagemounted transversely of the axis of the cap end; a fluid-communicationpassage extending from open communication with the manifold passagethrough the cap end; and a plurality of tubular distribution elementsprojecting longitudinally from the distributor head, each being in opencommunication with the manifold. The tubular distribution elementsshould be approximately parallel to each other with both the attachedends and the projecting ends, respectively, being aligned approximately.in a row.

- The material of construction and the dimensioning of the tubulardistributor elements is very important to the proper operation of thedevice. Thus, the tubular distribution elements, or nozzles should besufficiently long to extend from the hair line to approximately thecrown of the head. By crown" is'meant the region of the scalp at theapex or central top of the head. Thus, the crown is considered to beapproximately at the center of the region circumscribed by the hairline.For proper use, the elements must be inserted longitudinally across thescalp, beginning at the hairline. and continuing to the crown of thehead, i.e., to approximately the midpoint of the scalp, without anyappreciable combing action. Although different lengths may be preferredfor use on heads of various shapesor sizes or by various operators, forone reason or another, it has been fotliid that for most purposes thelength of the tubular distribution elements, i.e., the distance theelements freely'project from attachment to the distributor head.is'desirably between about 2 /2 and about 6 inches, with about 2 /4 toabout 3 inches representing the length presently considered mostadvantageous for general use. Distribution nozzles in excess of about 4inches are generally somewhat cumbersome and are less preferred for thatreason.

The distribution nozzles are approximately evenly spaced and communicatewith the manifold passage in a row. Thus, in use, fluids flow out of thenozzles to the scalp along parallel lines. The spacing of thedistribution nozzles is variable. depending on personal preference as-well as the properties of the fluids to be applied. For the applicationof peroxide and hair dyes generally, the distribution elements aredesirably spaced to deposit fluid along-parallel lines approximatelycorresponding to the parts established by traditional hair dyeingtechniques.

Accordingly, the elements are usually spaced about inch from theadjacent elements.

The tubular distribution elements should be stiflly flexible; thatis,,they should be sufliciently stiff to resist spreading or deflectingas they are inserted longitudinally into the hair but sufficientlyflexible to conform to scalp irregularities. To obtain best results, itis important that the nozzles maintain proper spacing at their distal ordischarging ends, even when they are inserted full-length into the hair,but they should be sufficiently flexible or pliable to avoid gouging thescalp. Liquid is discharged on the scalp as the distribution elementsare withdrawn from the hair. If the distribution elements are too stiff,an element sliding over a high scalp irregularity will lift thedischarge endsof adjacent elements off the scalp thereby resulting inthe discharge of liquids into the hair above the scalp or root zone.Thus, the distribution elements should be sufficiently flexible toensure that the discharging ends of all of the elements can bemaintained in contact with the scalp by the application of gentlescalpward pressure as the nozzles are withdrawn longitudinally acrossthe scalp.

While the distributor head may be of any width and carry any desirednumber of tubular distribution elements, it is preferred to limit thewidth of the distributor head so that the distal ends of all of theelements may be held against the scalp without difficulty. The curvatureof the head is likelyto result in one or more of the elementsdischarging fluid into the hair above the scalp if the distributor headis too wide. Accordingly, the width of the distributor head is normal yless than about 3 inches and includes the number of distributionelements conveniently and properly spaced within that width. Distributorheads wider than about 6 inches are rarely practical for use on humanheads although wider distributor heads may be useful for applyingliquids to the skins or hair roots of animals.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawing, which illustrates the bestmode presently contemplated of carrying out the invention;

FIG. 1 is a perspective viewshowing the method of use of the applicator,with a portion in section to show the tubular distribution elements andthe scalp;

FIG. 2, a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3, a perspective view of the applicator attached to a reservoir fortreatment liquid; and

FIG. 4, a longitudinal cross sectional view taken along the line 44 ofFIG. 3 illustrating the internal fluid communication passages of thedistributor head.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, theapplicator is attached to a plastic squeeze bottle reservoir 11 filledwith peroxide. The bottle 11 is held in the hand 12, and the tubulardistribution elements 13 are inserted longitudinally into the hair 14from the hairline 14a, peripherally of the head, toward the crown 15 ofthe head. Gentle scalpward pressure transversely of the distributionelements 13 holds the discharging ends 13a of the elements against thescalp 16. Each nozzle element flexes independently as its discharge endslides over the scalp. Thus, as illustrated, element 13-1 is moreseverely flexed than is element 13-2 to permit the discharge end 13a ofelement 132 to contact the scalp 16. (FIG. 2.) t

FIGS. 3 and 4 indicate the construction of the applicator, whichincludes a plurality of tubular elongate distribution nozzles 13extending parallel to each other from a manifold passage 17 (FIG. 3)mounted in distributor head 18 transversely of the axis of a cap element19. The manifold passage 17 openly communicates, via a liquidcommunication passage 20 through the cap 18,

with the reservoir 11. In its preferred form, the distribution elements13 taper slightly, as illustrated in FIG. 4, from their manifold ends13b to their distal or discharging ends 13a. The tapering configurationretards flow of liquid out of the distribution elements. The taperedexterior of these elements also assists in avoiding gouging the scalp.

In use, the operator merely inserts the distribution elements 13 fromthe hairline 14a along the scalp 16 until the discharging ends 13a ofthe elements 13 reach the vicinity of the crown 15 of the head. Thebottle 11 is then squeezed gently as the operator withdraws thedistribution elements gradually across the scalp 16 and out of the hair14 at the hairline 14a. Gentle scalpward pressure is maintained on theapplicator to hold the discharging ends 13a of the elements on the scalp16 while liquid is being discharged from the bottle to the scalp. Thisoperation is repeated around the perimeter of the head until all of thescalp has been treated. The entire procedure takes only a few minutes incontrast to the much greater periods required by the prior arttechniques. After the peroxide is applied, it is allowed to work on thehair roots until the desired color is achieved after which it is combedin conventional manner.

The applicator may be made of any desired material.

It may be assembled from several parts, but in its preferred form it ismolded either in one piece or in two symmetrical halves, shapedgenerally as indicated by FIG. 4, from a plastic material selected toprovide the requisite stiffness and pliability for the distributionelements. Nylon, polyethylene and polypropylene are examples of suitablematerials of construction.

I claim:

1. An applicator for depositing and distributing a coloring liquid onthe root portions of the hair next to the scalp, comprising supply meansadapted for attachment to a reservoir; and a plurality of approximatelyevenly spaced, tubular distribution elements made of a stiffly flexible,yet pliable material openly communicating in a row with said supplymeans, and projecting therefrom substantially parallel to each otherwithin a common plane, said tubular elements being sufficiently long toextend substantially horizontally from approximately the normal hairlineto approximately the crown of the head and sufficiently stiff tomaintain approximately their initial spacing when they are pushedlongitudinally into the hair, but sufficiently flexible that the distalends, are concurrently held against the scalp, yieldably conforming toscalp contour despite scalp irregularities, by the application ofgentle, scalpward pressure, whereby application of the said coloringliquid is only at the root portions of the hair. I

2. An applicator according to claim 1, wherein the supply means includesa cap end adapted for attachment to a reservoir and a distributor headmounted on said cap and including a manifold passage which openlycommunicates through said cap end with any reservoir to which the capmay be attached from time to time.

3. An applicator according to claim 2, wherein the tubular elementsopenly communicate in a row with said manifold and project therefrom.

4. An applicator according to claim 3. wherein each of the tubularelements is tapered from the communicating end to the distal endthereof.

5. An applicator according to claim 4, wherein the tubular elements arebetween about 2% to about 3% inches long.

6. An applicator according to claim 4, wherein the spacing betweenadjacent tubular elements is approximately A inch.

7. An applicator according to claim 1, comprising a screw cap; adistributor head integral with said screw cap, including a manifoldpassage transversely of the axis of said screw cap and a liquidcommunication passage ex. tending from said manifold passage throughsaid screw p; and a plurality of tubular distribution elements corn 5 6municating with said manifold passage and projecting longitudinally fromsaid distribution head. FOREIGN PATENTS 8. An applicator according toclaim 7, wherein the 393,009 10/ 19 8 France. tubular elements projectat least about 2 /2 inches from 1,000,642 10/ 1951 rance. thedistributor head and are spaced about M4 inch from 5 dj l m ROBERTPESHOCK, Pnmary Examiner J. W. MITCHELL, t E References Cited Assls antXammer UNITED STATES PATENTS US. Cl. X.R. 655,816 8/1900 DeVogel 132 1141 1,088,797 3/1914 Smith 401-28 2,123,558 7/1938 Altheide 132-114

